Town Halls and Tea Parties-Where Do We Go From Here?

No matter what the news media would have us believe, the ordinary, working, tax-paying Americans have won some significant battles in the past few months. From the town hall meetings to the tea parties, the videos and the blogs show that we have let our voices be heard-and in a responsible and lawful way. In spite of the labels that the Democrats and their media allies have attached to us, we have given a clear demonstration how everyday Americans can let their government know that they are heading in the wrong direction. Yes, the media has joined with the Democrats in saying that the town hall protests and tea parties are a sign of dangerous, violent and racist forces threatening civil discourse-a false charge if there ever was one. In the handful of town hall protests where some violence broke out, it was instigated and committed by pro-government health care goons. In one Arizona event, much was made of one citizen who showed up armed in order to make a 2nd amendment statement. Yet, it is hard to find the gentleman's picture in the media-because he happened to be black.



I could go on and on about the hypocrisy and lies of the Democrats and the media in portraying the people's backlash to President Obama's policies. However, what I want to focus on here is the question of where do we go from here.

Now that Congress is back in session, the town halls have concluded, and the march on Washington has been a great success, albeit underplayed by the media, we must press ahead with our goal of defeating the socialization of America. Presently, we are in the middle of the debate over government health care. We are winning that debate, but we still might lose that battle due to the Democratic majority both in the House and the Senate. But we can't lose sight of the other battles that are coming down the road; amnesty for illegal aliens, government takeover of many aspects of our lives, forced unionization through the so-called "Employee Free Choice Act", and the shutting down of conservative talk radio through the "Fairness Doctrine". What these issues require is the same level of intensity in tea parties across the nation and the attention of the conservative blogosphere and talk radio.

Conservatives must also face down the phony charges of racism that are being expounded by people like MSNBC, Jimmy Carter and Maureen Dowd, the latter who wrote that what Joe Wilson really meant to say was , "You lie, boy." He did not say that, and Dowd is disingenuous in implying that was his true meaning.

Americans are not rebelling against President Obama because he is black or part-black. Were he a conservative black along the lines of say, Condoleeza Rice or Michael Steele, we would be supporting him-while liberals would be castigating him as an "Uncle Tom" or a "sell-out". Ask black conservatives like Clarence Thomas, Janice Rogers Brown, Thomas Sowell and others what kind of treatment they get from the left for their beliefs. The fact is that we oppose President Obama because of his policies, which are leading the country into socialism and economic bankruptcy. We cannot let the "racist" accusation silence our voices.

RNC Chairman Michael Steele. In his last campaign for senator they threw oreo cookies in his path.

Racist cartoon portraying Condoleeza Rice as Aunt Jemima (one of many)



Tea parties must continue beyond the health care issue. They should be held to protest any attempt to silence the voices of those who speak for us, whether it be Fox News, talk radio or the conservative blogosphere.

Another issue that must be in the forefront of our protests is government corruption, which is becoming worse every day. We must speak out against it whether it involves Democratic politicians or Republican politicians. We must be honest that several Republicans have been caught with their hands-or other body parts- in the cookie jar lately. Therefore, as we demand the removal of crooked politicians like William Jefferson, we must also demand the removal of the John Ensigns, Mark Sanfords, David Vitters' and other Republicans who have betrayed the public trust. If we do not, then we are hypocrites. There are few things worse than public corruption and the abuse of power. That is a major problem today in America, and it should be a focus of future protests.

If the Republican Party asks for our votes in future elections to reverse the trend in Washington and at the state level, then we must demand that they hold to their promises. In 1994, the Republicans swept into power in Congress based on a promise to reverse the corruption and left-ward drift in government. They went to Washington and joined the system-forgetting the pledges they had made. As a result, they are out of power-and deservedly so. If they want to come back into power, they need to know that we will hold their feet to the fire.

Whatever happens to the present health care debate, the protests that have shaken this land must continue. The health care issue will likely be settled-for better or worse-in the coming months. But there are other important battles ahead. From President Obama's speech Wednesday to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, it is readily apparent that "immigration reform" is coming back and once accomplished, will place present-day illegal aliens under the government health care umbrella notwithstanding Obama's pledge in his address to Congress, which sparked Joe Wilson's outburst. We can't allow the momentum to spend itself now. It must continue into the 2010 elections and the next presidential election.

We also must continue to call out the media, which has become a national joke. Rush Limbaugh-half in jest- calls it the "State-Run Media". That is partially true only because the state doesn't need to run the media, rather the media is a willing and eager partner. The only thing missing here is a Josef Goebbels-only because he isn't needed. Our mission is to continue to show the public the blatant dishonesty of the mainstream media-as if it isn't right in front of their eyes. We must continue to be the alternative voice until the media either reforms itself back to what it should be or collapses-which is what is happening as we speak.

Make no mistake, we have a White House, Congress and mainstream media that ridicules the average American tax-payer and is not reluctant to apply the worst labels to us. Beyond the health care issue, we need to maintain our vigilance and speak out-legally and peacefully to be sure-but continue to speak out.

After all. What are they going to do-arrest us?